Aerial Manlift Dangers
Aerial man lifts are personnel lifts like articulated boom lifts, scissor lifts and boom lifts which use an articulated boom or a series of folding, linked supports. These equipment allows workers to get up high into previously inaccessible places. In some ways, these types of machinery have made construction much easier and safer, however, the overall safety that comes with the unparalleled mobility of aerial manlifts has applied a new list of hazards which could accidentally lead to serious injury or even death to unaware drivers.
Falls
Falls from a man lift usually occurs when employees cannot secure the harness to the lift or fail to or are unable to wear a safety harness. Falls can occur when someone on the platform acts unsuitably and partakes in an activity such as climbing the guard rails to be able to gain additional height. What's more, accidents can be caused if the ground-based operator causes the machine to move in an unexpected motion prior to the employee being properly secured.
Numerous workers also fall because the base of their machinery is inadvertently struck by some other heavy thing. In this situation, the force of the blow below becomes amplified by the length of the lift, hence causing the worker to be suddenly catapulted off of the platform. Obviously this hazardous action has terrible results.
Tip-Overs
Unfortunately, boom lifts are easily susceptible to tipping over. Tip-overs could happen in any type of lift, but are more frequent in articulated boom lifts. Because boom lifts could move both horizontally and vertically, they are capable of changing the equipment's overall center of gravity. Hence, if the lift is over loaded or parked on an incline of some type, extending the boom completely when it is in the wrong position could cause the equipment to tip over.